Good advice about taking good advice... Try as many guns as you can, think about what works for YOU, not what somebody else advises, or "what everybody else is doing," etc. Remember, "on the internet, everybody is an expert."

Also consider ammo cost. Your grip size. How much you're willing to practice. Remember, in a face to face shooting situation, you will follow your training, because your brain basically shuts down under high stress. You MUST practice a draw-and-shoot routine (e.g. draw and triple tap) until you can do it smoothly and quickly, without thinking. That takes ammo, which costs money.

Consider also magazine capacity. That Glock 36 is a terrific weapon, but it only holds 6 rounds. Are you comfortable with that? In most cases, 6 rounds of .45 ACP will fend off a single attacker, maybe two if you're good enough. Is that acceptable?

Look at the other extreme: A friend of mine who's a defensive shooting instructor with 20 years of DEA drug interdiction work carries a SIG 226 9mm with a 20 round magazine. That's 21 rounds, with one in the chamber. Plus he carries two extra magazines on his belt. That's a total of 61 rounds he can fire in a few seconds. He starts every day by drawing and dry-firing 50-100 times, and he can empty that SIG at the rate of about 6 rounds per second.

So step back, listen to everybody, but believe nothing, and make your own decision.